The Stark Effect
by NexusNebulous
Summary: In which the girl who might have been Hermione Granger is raised as Tony Stark's daughter, and the world is that much closer to imploding spontaneously. One know-it-all Stark was enough, thank you. *Includes other Marvel characters, i.e. XMen, Spiderman, etc.
1. Prologue: His Own Mini Monster

**A/N: First off, I know this says Harry Potter/Avengers. It mostly is. However, there's going to be some cases where this story is more Harry Potter/ Marvel Universe. There will be XMen, there will be Spiderman. There will be...oh, I dunno. Deadpool's badass, maybe him. Maybe I should make this a vote.**

**Also, I'm aware that I'm really screwing around with their ages. It was necessary. I wanted Hermione to be fifteen-ish by the time all of this Iron Man stuff starts happening, one so that you could get some father-daughter relationship fluffy stuff before people start dropping dead, two do I can get most of the HP plot out of the way, and three, because daughter-of-weapons-designer-Hermione-who-shoots-s pells-as-well-as-multiple-weapony-type-things is badass AKA I want her to be semi involved with the action.**

**This is gonna be so much fun!**

**The Stark Effect**

**Prologue: His Own Mini Monster**

"No, you hear me Tony? You are not allowed to do this!"

Pepper Potts shouted through the phone.

Tony flinched, holding the cell away from his ear as he shifted a swaddled bundle cradled on his left arm.

A smallish, pink, baby-sized bundle.

A smallish, pink, baby-sized bundle that was snoring softly.

Oh god. Who gave Tony Stark a _baby?!_

"Geez Potts, I just got her to go to sleep, can you not shout?"

"Shout? You don't want me to shout Anthony Stark?! You haven't even heard shouting yet! You skip a mandatory meeting and come back with a baby, and you don't want me shouting! When I get over there, you will learn what shouting really is! Webster will put my goddamn picture next to the definition of shouting when I get through with you!" She raged, hanging up the phone with what was probably the angriest click he had ever heard.

Tony looked down, and sure enough, the baby girl had woken up, big, curious brown eyes looking up at him.

"I think she likes you," he said with an easy smirk.

_later_

"Are you kidding me? You can't take care of a baby!"

"Why not? Everything I don't know, you can teach me!"

"Why would you want to?"

"Why not? She's biologically mine, her mother is dead. Who better to take care of my daughter than her father?"

Pepper gave him a look.

"Considering that you- Anthony Stark, billionaire playboy and overall dick head- are her father, that statement is extremely debatable.

"Hey don't call me that in front of Minnie! You'll corrupt her impressionable. beautiful brain!"

"Minnie?"

"Well the letter says her name is Hermione, and that's about three syllables too much for my taste- the kid will be lucky if she can pronounce her own name! So Minnie it is!"

"This is a big mistake Tony-"

"Say what you want, but even you can't resist those big brown eyes," he insisted, hold up the baby for her to see.

She did have big brown eyes. They were the color of chocolate, and they were wide and curious as she looked at the bickering couple.

"I still can't believe this. I know you can't keep it in your pants Tony, but aren't you notoriously strict about using protection?"

Tony shrugged.

Accidents happen, and the paternity test confirmed. Besides, I could use someone cute to come home to after work," he said, a goofy grin on his face.

Pepper glared at him.

He smirked back.

"Are you kidding Potts? You're not cute. You're sexy and amazing."

She rolled her eyes.

"I have to admit Tony, this is stupid even for you," Rhodey said calmly, keeping the baby out of harm's way, while Pepper raged at him silently, too angry for words.

"Wow, such nice things to say to the genius who has you both on his payroll," Tony muttered, trying not to smile as Pepper stuttered angrily.

"Hey, I'm only part time, and that's just because the Army doesn't trust you as far as they could shoot you. Besides, you could never fire either of us. Pepper would kick your ass.

"Damn, you got me, but really, I'm the bad guy for wanting to save a baby? You act like I got caught throwing puppies off Goldengate bridge or something, and besides, you know you can't resist those big brown eyes either, so don't demonize me for falling for it."

"But why Tony? Why now, do you suddenly want a kid? You hate children, remember? You said all kids were assholes just last month, remember?"

"You seem to forget the part where the little bastard called me a faggot and kicked me in the nuts, so sorry for making a generalization in a fit of rage."

"Tony-"

"Look, you guys, I appreciate your concerns, but I'm not letting up on this. I _don't know_ why I care so much. I just do. I want her to have the world if she asks for it. She deserves that much." He said, almost solemnly, before picking up the giggling baby and leaving the room.

Pepper looked shocked, but Rhodey just shrugged.

"Just let him win this one Potts. Maybe Tony needs some responsibility."

"I don't get paid enough for this."

Hours later, Pepper found him in the bathroom, laughing with the baby as the unlikely pair splashed and blew bubbles in sink.

"I don't understand you," she said finally.

He looked up with an easy smirk on his face.

"You're not supposed to. I'm a genius, remember?"

"And I don't know what the hell you were-"

"Hey, watch the language in front of Minnie," he interrupted, giving her a teasing look.

She grimaced, but quickly got over it, smiling at Minnie with a grin that clearly read "you're so lucky you're cute."

"Well then, I guess congratulations are in order. Welcome to the family, Sweetheart," she said endearingly, kissing the baby's forehead and leaving to make arrangements to have a nursery decorated.

Tony took to Parenthood like he did anything else, like a duck to water. There were...incidents, like "The Great Diaper Catastrophe of 97, as he called it, and in 2000 the mess little Minnie caused when her adopted father found out that intelligence and a penchant for trouble were two things the pair of them had in in common (it took him a month to un-encrypt those files). But like he had promised, he gave her everything she needed and then some. By Minnie's sixth birthday, it was nearly impossible to give her anything Tony hadn't already.

Tony gave Minnie everything. If she wanted to play in the lab, she could. If she wanted to try the missiles, she could. Pepper called it bad parenting, Tony called it "encouraging her talents". So when Hermione started school, which was a tragedy in and of itself, and it was quickly realized that Minnie had no tolerance for idiots, her Kindergarten teacher being the unlucky victim of this policy. The Stark heiress took her punishment like a little soldier, but maintained that the woman deserved it- "She didn't even know what a logarithm was!" She protested.

With her inability to peacefully interact with anyone who couldn't speak grammatically correct, it was quickly determined that regular school was out of the question. So instead Tony gave her private tutors, and taught her the various sciences personally, in his lab.

Hermione Stark was too smart for her own good. Pepper thought so. Rhodey thought so. Happy thought so. Did Tony care? No. He was too busy being smitten with his "genius little girl". As she grew up, they took to calling her Mini Stark, since Tony rarely called her by her given name, and the little girl was too much like her father for it to be healthy. By the time she was five, the father and daughter had developed the habit of falling asleep together in the lab, Tony wrapped around his little girl on the day bed he'd put in there.

And those were the times that Pepper realized that apparently on complete accident, Tony had managed to do right by that little girl.

**A/N: Yeah, so that happened. This was originally two very different drafts that ended up making more sense together than by themselves. Honestly, it's like a bad patchwork quilt at this point.(Shrugs) Anyways, this was going to be a first chapter, but I think calling it a Prologue will excuse how weirdly it's written (to me anyways). Maybe? XD**


	2. Chapter 1: A Day In the Life

**So before you yell at me for killing the cuteness, don't worry. There'll still be fluff, I just didn't feel like spending a lot of time on "Look at Hermione, she's Tony's kid, aren't they cute?" I might add some outtakes later- actually, I probably will, but right now I decided to introduce some new characters, and yes, there's a character description at the bottom, but if you don't automatically recognize them, God help you. XD**

**Anyways, I'm probably only going to do one or two more chapters involving pre Hogwarts. Honestly, I'm itching to get to the action-y bits. **

**Chapter 2: A Day In the Life**

Hermione was nine years old when Tony let her tag along to Oscorp, in New York City, a possible future business partner for Stark Industries, and a great asset if Tony could ever get Norman to agree to the merger.

"Baby doll, Daddy's going to talk to Mr. Osborne in the conference room, why don't you stay and talk to Ms. Wendy?" He suggested, gesturing at Norman's secretary, who looked more eager to eat rocks than deal with a little girl. Grinning with deceptive obedience, she agreed.

The office door closed.

She left the office, and found herself on an indoor balcony, just a level above R&D.

Dozens of scientists scurried around below her, carrying supplies, prepping their stations, and performing experiments. The work being done ranged from exercises she'd already done with her Dad, to experiments she didn't even recognize.

"Young lady, what are you doing here? This area is no place for children." A man's voice said behind her. A tall man stood behind her, carrying several notebooks under one arm. The other arm, well, wasn't there.

"Oh, no worries, I won't contaminate anything. I'm just looking. You know, I think that guy down there must just be an intern. Doesn't he know that adding nitrogen to that base could potentially explode in his face? It's common sense really. He's not even wearing goggles!" she said, pointing to the endangered man, and watching him with concern.

The man gave her an incredulous look, and called to man in question. He looked up just as the beaker began smoking dangerously. Panicked, he quickly threw water on it, and while it counteracted the impending explosion, the concoction splashed on his face. He screamed in pain and fell over, all work pausing just long enough for security to carry him out of the room, presumably toward a medic. As soon as he was out of sight work resumed, as if he'd never been there in the first place.

"Who are you?" the man asked wonderingly.

"Hermione Stark, but I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, so if my dad asks, I didn't tell you that."

He chuckled. "All right, Hermione Stark. I'm Curt Connors."

They talked together for maybe an hour, about reptiles, which honestly Hermione didn't know that much about, but Dr. Connors obviously loved it, and she had no problems with learning about it. He was almost fanatical about it.

Finally the Doctor was called away to do actual work, and she was left by herself again. So Minnie decided to go exploring, and see what she could see before she got into trouble.

Blah blah blah business, blah blah contract. After the first hour of negotiations came and went, Tony couldn't bring himself to care anymore. It was obvious that Osborne was trying to turn the tables on them, in order to come on top in this deal, and as much as Tony respected him for that, that was never gonna happen. All this dancing around each other wasn't necessary. In fact, they probably could have wrapped this up forty five minutes ago, and he wouldn't have missed anything!

"Mr. Stark, I think we both know we have too much to discuss to delegate it all to one meeting. How about we quit for today on that note and reschedule at a later date?"

Tony nodded.

"I think that'll be fine Norman. It was good t-"

They froze as a bloodcurdling scream echoed down the hallways.

Tony and Pepper turned to each other when they realized it sounded like a little girl.

"My god, was that your Hermione?!" Osborne worried, but Tony was already out the door, sprinting towards the sound.

Unfortunately, kidnapping attempts were not a new thing to Hermione.

So when a man in a black mask grabbed her as she passed a supply closet, trying to threaten her not to scream, she didn't, not at first. Instead she elbowed him in the stomach while stomping on his foot and ran off.

She had to find her dad.

Sadly, little girls weren't typically faster than fully grown men and within moments a pair of rough hands grabbed her around the middle and hauled her up off the ground.

And boy, did he look mad.

So this time, Hermione went ahead and screamed.

And that's when she hit her over the head.

Nine year old Peter Parker wasn't supposed to go this far from the house. Not unless Uncle Ben was with him. But exploring was no fun when he had to stay within the block around his house.

But he figured that he knew his way around enough not to get lost, so he rarely bothered with that anyways. Which is how he ended up six blocks from his house, the sun going down over the rooftops, an old polaroid camera hung on his neck.

He took pictures of random buildings, of the cars passing through, of a spider in its web.

He even turned the camera on his self at least once, resulting in blurry shots of whatever silly faces he had been making.

And when a small black car drove up, and the man in the driver's seat pulled a little girl out of the back, bound and gagged, he took a picture of that too.

He never saw the man in the passenger's seat, but the man certainly saw him.

This had happened too many times. His daughter had been kidnapped and he was almost…calm. It wasn't a pleasant calm though. It was a deathly quiet, patient calm, waiting for the news that his Hermione was rescued, or that she was dead.

He didn't have to wonder how she was, it was always the same. She would be bound, and gagged. Probably bruised and bloody, if she'd fought back like he knew she had. They'd do everything they could to scare her, everything they could to scare him, until he caved to their demands, or she was rescued. Unless this would be the time that they got too impatient to wait, and he'd only be getting a body this time.

Pepper watched him worriedly, her own cheeks wet with tears. She didn't like the look in his eyes. It was the same mad scientist look he got sometimes when he was the lab, like he was about to try something insane.

She might've said something, but in that very moment the Officer in charge of Hermione's rescue walked in, followed by a couple who appeared to be in their forties.

Pepper sat up a bit straighter, trying to appear composed.

"Captain Stacy, has there been any news?"

The stern man nodded, an odd mix of solemnity and hope on his face.

"Yes, we have a lead. Miss. Potts, Mr. Stark, this is Mr. and Mrs. Parker. Their nephew was kidnapped sometime in the last hour."

Tony's eyes met hers, in surprise, and they looked at the Parkers with grief stricken faces.

The husband seemed furious, and more than a little shocked. His wife looked like she'd only just managed to stop sobbing, and was close to starting again.

"Peter Parker was going around town taking pictures. We found the camera broken on the street. Looks like whoever took him didn't want anyone seeing the pictures. Normally, the photos would've been unsalvageable, the card probably would've been destroyed along with the rest of it."

"But?" Tony interrupted.

"But he wasn't using a digital camera.

Peter was using a polaroid," Captain Stacy said, holding up a photo for them to see.

It was a bit blurry, but there was no mistaking Hermione's hair, or the clothes she'd been wearing. Her hands were bound, and her captor was apparently moving her to a different car, a carefully tinted SUV.

"We think it's safe to assume that they are together. My team is working on enhancing this so we can read the plates, but it'll take time.

Tony stood up, and suddenly, he looked like the cool and confident man she knew.

"Not if we do it my way."

"So what's your name?" Peter asked as the girl gained consciousness.

Her eyes snapped open, staring at him in surprise when she realized the boy was there, bound and gagged just like she was. She'd never been captured with someone else before.

She didn't say anything at first, adjusting to the movement of the van they were in. Two men sat at the front, their faces hidden behind those same black masks. She blinked away tears. At least was still daylight, assuming it was still Tuesday.

"…Minnie. What's yours?"

"Peter."

"Why did they take you?"

"I saw them taking you, and they grabbed me too, I guess."

She blanched at that. So it was her fault that he'd been taken?

"Why'd they take you?" he asked.

What was her dad doing now? She wondered. Was Pepper making sure he was taking care of himself, or was she too worried herself?

She ducked he head.

"Ransom."

It was silent for a long moment before he spoke again.

"I guess this is why I'm not supposed to go far from the house without Uncle Ben." He admitted, his expression more than a little guilty.

**Firstly: Yes, Hermione got kidnapped just so I could introduce Peter Parker to the story. Don't judge me XD. We already know there's going to be a happy ending here, so don't stone me to death maybe? For the record, it was really hard to write. I'm not especially happy with it. Oh well, I'm sure you'll all voice your complaints if you have them. Right? You won't just let me keep writing badly?**

**Secondly: So to me at least, this is a short chapter. My goal is for them to be a lot longer, I just need to get into the swing of things I guess.**

**And Thirdly: OMFG guys, do you realize how much alerts have been blowing up my phone? My inbox is full of reviews and favorites and follows and it makes me so damn happy. **

**So special thanks to: **

**Authorwannabe101, Latin Geek, Chibi-no-baka,fanavanger,Whitelion69, Swallow-Tailed Kite, Purple 'N' Blue Wings, JannaKalderdash, Keira-House M.D., gracelander2, flyingberry, Fantasy-Mania31,lena,griffindork93,breath-the-ocea n-calls,Liger48, Faux Princess, Crazy Reader3, EternityDragon2610, Dotted-Daffodil,BadKristy13,nikyta, and angel897 for reviewing.**

**Not to mention the 36! who favorited and 90! who followed. You guys make me all fuzzy inside. XD**

**Oh and Finally, it was mentioned that I should put character descriptions at the bottom for everyone who doesn't know comics as well. I'll be happy to, I just didn't think it was necessary just yet. Everyone knows Peter Parker, right? His story gets pretty well explained through the course of this anyways. Some of you might not know Dr. Connors if you're really bad with names or have never actually seen Spiderman before. And it doesn't really matter whether you do or not- I didn't feel like creating an OC- but if you know Cpt. Stacy, well goodie for you. He's not all that important, honestly.**


	3. Chapter 2: Needs a Warning Label

**Omg guys, the reviews were on the money. Well most of them. **

**About tracking chips, and reflexive magic, there is an explanation! I promise! And magic will come into play, but I think it'll be even more interesting seeing the other characters' reactions. **

**As for Peter and Minnie, this is a multipairing story anyways. Pretty much everyone is going to end up liking more than one person by the time it's all said and done. So even if they got together/had crushes on each other, there's no guarantee it'll last. But it's too early for that anyways! Relax guys!**

**Luckily, the cuteness comes back after this chapter! For a little while! Sort of! XD I also have an outtake in the works, so woo!**

**Another thing- just so you know, I know absolutely nothing about New York City. Oops. Sorry. I live in Florida, I've never even been in the state, let alone the city, so please excuse me if my descriptions are frigging awful.**

**Oh, and did I really say he was her biological & adoptive father? Oops. He's supposed to be her biological father.**

**It was mentioned that I need a beta: Yeah, probably. Any takers?**

**And finally I'm on AO3 now! Find me under Saccharine_Riddle, if you care. :D**

**Chapter 2: Should Come With a Warning Label**

Four years ago.

Tony sighed good naturedly as he picked his four year old daughter off of the display she'd been sitting on. Which was now displaying a blue error screen he'd only ever heard of before.

"Geez kid, do you have to break all of my toys before I get to use them?" He teased as she giggled.

The brand new Starktop Holo was supposed to be indestructible to anything shy of one of his ballistic missiles, yet Hermione, who wasn't even three feet tall, could still render it inoperable without even trying. Which was bad, because she was the main one he was trying to protect it from.

Childproofing where Hermione was concerned was something Tony was quickly discovering was fairly impossible. She quickly learned how to get past those gates you put on staircases, managed to hide in the most out of the way, impossible nooks and crannies in his house- on top of the fridge being a notable example- and get into all of his dangerous equipment, all of it locked away for that very reason. All of this apparently managed to happen in the split second he'd take her eyes off of her. Next he knew, she would be sitting on the chandelier in the entryway, or something equally impossible.

Then it was his lab. Well no, everything electronic in his lab, and everywhere else too. If Minnie touched it, it was guaranteed to at least freeze up until she put it down.

Quite a few more sensitive devices nearly blew up in her hands. Which was becoming a serious problem.

It was a shame. The girl could be really good- she learned exceptionally fast. But she wouldn't have much of a future in the business if the Minnie touch didn't go away.

So Tony turned to one of his connections.

A man named Charles Xavier.

The bald man knew how to arrive in style. He appeared, right in Tony's foyer, accompanied by a guy with a coat of blue fur and a wicked tail.

"Professor Xavier," he greeted, holding out his hand.

Xavier took it.

"It's very good to see you Anthony. This is my student, Kurt Wagner.

Tony shook his hand too, forcing down the very strong impulse to start questioning Wagner about his capabilities. This was about Hermione after all.

"Now, explain to me what you believe little Hermione can do."

Tony shrugged.

"Everything electronic goes haywire if she touches it, and she has a habit of…disappearing. She's getting way too good at hide and seek," he said with a smirk.

"Let's see for ourselves then," Charles said, gesturing for Tony to lead the way.

"Minnie, where are you?" He asked as he lead them through the house.

Charles noticed several large pillows placed conspicuously underneath the chandelier, the balcony, even a hanging lamp.

"Up here, Daddy!"

They heard from the left, and turning to look saw the little brown haired girl balancing on top of a crane-like device inside what could only be Tony's lab.

"Minnie, hold on! I'll-"

Hermione was slowly lifted in the air and placed gently on the ground.

Tony turned, expecting to see Charles with his hand to his temple in concentration. Instead the older man looked pleasantly surprised.

Minnie ran up and hugged Tony, smiling up at him brightly.

"Hi Daddy," she greeted.

Tony sighed, then grinned.

"Minnie, this is Professor Xavier, and his friend, Mr. Wagner."

The girl looked like she'd won the lottery when she saw Kurt.

"Wow! Mr., did you know you're my favorite color?"

She squealed, grabbing his hand in hers.

He looked down at her in surprise, while Charles laughed.

"Err… thank you?" the mutant said uncomfortably, before gently removing her hands and stepping back. With a meaningful glance at Charles, he disappeared, leaving Hermione even more awed.

Xavier smiled, and shook his head.

"Miss Stark, you are a very incredible young lady," Charles said, earning a grin from the cheerful little thing.

"You know Hermione; you gave your Daddy quite the scare a minute ago,"

He mentioned.

Obviously, she had had this conversation before, because she sobered immediately.

"I know…I don't do it on purpose, I promise!"

He smiled at her kindly, and touched her shoulder.

"I know child, I know. Still, it's very dangerous."

She nodded resolutely, understanding.

"Hermione, could you maybe explain to me how you do it?"

She bit her lip.

"I don't know…I just…think about it, and it happens.

He smiled at her reassuringly.

"How do you feel when this happens?"

She frowned contemplatively.

"All fuzzy…and warm, like I'm flying. And tingly, like…static!" She realized, grinning at the connotation.

Charles' eyes widened with recognition.

"Little one, would you excuse me for a moment while I talk with your father?"

She pouted, likely having heard this many time before, but nodded, running off, likely to get into even more trouble.

"Well? Tony asked when he walked back in.

"What do you think?"

"One last question, do you have any other family that had the X gene?"

Tony shook his head.

"Not that I know of. I had a great Uncle who was on the weird side, but definitely no mutants.

Charles nodded with understanding.

"It will not be necessary to send her to my school, Tony. Your daughter is no mutant."

Tony didn't look all that convinced.

"Come on now Charles, I think it's agreed that teleportation isn't something people can normally do."

The elder man grinned.

Tony saw this and frowned, puzzled.

"What are you saying Minnie is, Charles?"

"Mr. Stark, that wonderful little girl is a witch," he said.

Tony blinked, opened his mouth to say "No, that's not possible," but thought about it and realized yes, yes it was.

"What do you suggest I do?"

Professor Charles Xavier smiled.

"You know Wanda Maximoff, correct?"

End Flashback

"I don't get it, Stark. I figured a guy like you would have a tracer on your kid, give 'em a cell phone at least. This has happened before, hasn't it?"

Tony nodded tensely as he worked to enhance the photo of Minnie's kidnappers.

He would've laughed, in another situation, recalling the time he actually had tried to give her a tracking bracelet.

The tracking device had been fried beyond repair before he got a lock on her location even once, unable to locate her even when he was standing right next to her. Even after a several years of practice, any device that was constantly in close proximity to her tended to have a very short…shelf life. He'd been in the process of developing ways to work around this- on the verge of a breakthrough even, but he hadn't finished yet. Not by a longshot.

Tony glanced up when a monitor on the wall lit up.

Pepper was standing behind a podium, holding a press conference for what must have been the third time today, a mob of reporters surrounding her, all clamoring for her attention.

"Ms. Potts, have there been any leads in finding Hermione Stark?"

"Why doesn't she have bodyguards?"  
"Why isn't Tony here?!"

Pepper sighed visibly, and then cleared her throat loudly.

"Please, one question at a time," she said, her words polite, but Tony smirked as he watched her. Oh, they were going to get it.

"Mr. Stark is a very active part of the current investigation, I'm sure you all understand that his and everyone else's priority is rescuing Hermione, and Peter," she said carefully, reminding the vapid media that there had in fact been two children abducted.

The Media Liaison for the Police department stepped forward then, taking control of the conversation.

Tony turned his attention back to the computer, and sighed. No, nothing yet.

"We're asking the public to watch out for any suspicious persons moving in the city," the blonde woman was saying. "We believe that the perpetrators have taken the children to a place within the city- an abandoned building, a warehouse, where they are likely to be undisturbed.

We have confirmation that at last sighting, Hermione Stark and Peter Parker were being transported in a black Cadillac Escalade, the model year being fairly recent- 2002 at the oldest. If you see any vehicles matching this description, please call the NYPD."

The conference ended, and Tony moved to turn off the television.

"Hey Stark, what's this mean?"

Tony glanced up, and when he saw the flashing blue icon on his monitor, a devious smirk making it's way onto his face.

"It means I know who has my daughter," he said, typing with more ferocity than before.

"Where do you think they're taking us?" Peter whispered, craning his neck to see out the windows.

The kidnappers were talking loudly in the front seats, as if they didn't have two kids hogtied in the back of the SUV, where no one could easily see in and they definitely couldn't see out.

Hermione thought for a moment.

"Whoever paid them to do this had connections, and money. Chances are they'd have access to somewhere out of the way, well secured. A warehouse, a factory maybe, where a lot of vehicles going in and out won't be noticed right away. Nobody would notice us getting brought in," _No way of getting themselves out._

"So what do we do?"

"We wait, see what they want. If they're soft, they'll probably leave us alone while they put out a ransom notice, which will be plenty of time for my Dad to find us," she said, knowing full well that'd be unlikely.

Chances were, Peter would die as soon as they got there, because they didn't /need/ him. Then they'd beat her, break a couple bones, threaten to take off a finger or two, all so that when they sent word of how much they wanted, her Dad would know exactly how scared his little girl was.

Peter was staring at her.

"What?"

"How often does this happen to you?"

She bit her lip.

"This is the fourth time," she admitted.

"Who are you then? Some kind of Princess? Your Dad a mob boss? A secret agent?"

She smiled without humor, and shook her head.

"Tony Stark.'

Peter's eyes went wide.

"Oh. Okay then. That makes sense I guess."

It was silent for a moment.

"Okay then. You're the expert here. Let's make an escape plan."

Hermione looked at him long and hard. Peter looked halfway between excited and terrified.

She nodded.

"Okay."

The grin he sent her wasn't genuine, but it made her feel better all the same.

"Let me see your hands."

"Somehow, you don't seem like the type," she muttered, as Peter unraveled the knots that bound her hands and feet.

"For what?"

"I figured you'd be more Mathlete than Boy Scout," she admitted, looking at bit sheepish.

He rolled his eyes.

"Should I be offended?" He teased.

She shrugged.

"That's your prerogative."

He snorted quietly.

Suddenly, the sound of the wheels hitting pavement changed, and Peter and Minnie gave each other a look.

"We've left the freeway," Hermione confirmed, right before everything went dark.

"And we're going through a tunnel."

The car slowed, and the men up front grew quiet.

Peter pressed himself against the back door, trying to see through the windshield.

"Red light," he whispered.

Hermione gave him a questioning look, and Peter nodded.

It was harder finding the emergency release in the dark, but Minnie grabbed it, and gently opened the back door.

She held it carefully as it lifted up, and did her best to keep it from making a sound.

Peter grabbed it, held it in place, so that there was just enough room to slip out, and Hermione rolled through the hole, landing on the ground with a quite thump.

She was slightly disappointed that no one was behind the Escalade on the road. It would've been much simpler to find another person and slip into their car. No way were they going to risk walking in front of their kidnappers.

From the outside, Minnie grabbed the handle herself, staying crouched, and waited for Peter to pull himself through, giving him an odd look when he brought the rope with him.

"Come on, and be quiet," she mouthed, pushing the back door back into place.

They stayed close to the wall, doing their best to stay hidden as they rushed toward the waning sunlight outside.

"Alright, we made it!" Peter whisper-yelled when they reached the exit, but Hermione slapped a hand over his mouth.

"No, we're not. We need to find a cop, or a mother with children, someone we can trust. We didn't even see those guys faces. They could be anybody-"

The sound of an engine revving and wheels squealing could be heard echoing down the tunnel.

"Come on!"

They sprinted towards the nearest alley and ducked behind a dumpster.

"Dang, I was really hoping we'd get a better head start than this," she complained, searching her pockets for something useful.

Several bits of metal scrap fell out of her jacket, and she sighed.

Great.

"Any ideas now, Boy Scout?"

He shrugged.

"Figures. I guess we're running then."

So Hermione Stark and Peter Parker took off into the back alleys of New York City.

"Alright, our person of interest is Dennis Carradine. He's well known as a petty criminal, but he's had some connection to bigger crime if there's money involved. We believe it's safe to assume that he has been hired to kidnap Hermione Stark, and that he is not operating independently.

"Currently, Carradine's place of residence is listed as an apartment complex in Queens, however, this information is likely outdated. Instead we are cross-referencing several of his known hangouts with possible sightings of the black Escalade."

Tony stood leaning against a desk while the Cpt. Stacy informed his officers and the Parkers.

The older couple had come out of their shock, he could see, because their expressions were of that same kind of soul-crushing misery that he'd been feeling this whole time. He knew it too well. It was the feeling you got when you felt completely to blame but knew there was nothing you could do. Not really.

The thing was, this had happened before, again and again, and the only thing Tony had learned from the experience was that as long as he was Tony Stark, and Hermione was his daughter, all he could do was prepare her, do his best to guard her, and hope to God nobody got through anyways. It wouldn't work. But he could damn well try.

The fact that he had tried didn't make this any easier though. Especially not now, with another innocent kid involved.

"Alright, you all know your assignments," The Captain said, and his deputies filed out of the room, just as another woman walked in.

Tony sighed as the others processed the woman's appearance. Dark hair, pale skin, drop dead gorgeous, and a skin tight, red jumpsuit with matching red boots with stiletto heels. And a cape. He would never understand why she wore that in public, though honestly, he wasn't complaining.

"Wanda," he greeted, not liking the look on her face.

Murderous was the only way to describe it.

"So, Tony, when were you going to tell me that my favorite student's been kidnapped? Again?"

"You were supposed to be in Transia for the rest of the month. There was no way to reach you in time."

She huffed.

"Yes well, plans change. How long has it been since she disappeared?"

"Five hours," he told her, crossing his arms.

"Who do you have out there?"

He gestured to the nearly empty police station.

Wanda rolled her eyes.

"Really though, who do you have out there, who will actually find your daughter?"

"Xavier sent out a team. Said it was the least he could do."

She nodded with approval.

"I assume Wagner's leading it?"

Tony nodded. Probably; Kurt was damn protective of Minnie.

"Good. I'm heading out then. Don't worry too much, okay Stark? I think you'd like your odds," she said, before opening the third story window and jumping out, much to the Parker's and Cpt. Stacy's shock.

"Don't worry about it. Odds are, she'll even land on her feet."

It was getting dark fast, and cold even faster, and Hermione was running out of ideas. She had no idea where she was, no way to find her way out, and she had no illusions that those men weren't still after them in that very moment.

"Don't you live in New York? How come you don't know your way around?"

Peter narrowed his eyes at her.

"The same way you don't know every street in L.A. Sorry I'm not a walking GPS," he muttered, and Minnie instantly felt bad.

"Sorry. I just don't like this. Being lost in a place like this is even worse than being kidnapped. At least kidnappers plan on giving you back mostly alive. And God, what does it take to find a payphone around here?" she almost shouted.

Peter dragged her back into the alley when a pair of headlights flashed on, and a truck could be heard driving past.

"Is that them?" she squeaked.

"Let's not find out, yeah?" he advised, leading her deeper into the alley.

They turned a few corners, until they weren't sure how they'd even gotten this far from the street, with only dirty walls of old buildings meeting them at all sides.

"Okay, that settles it. I officially wish we were still in the back of that Cadillac," she muttered.

She expected Peter to make some kind of comment, at least to remind her that no, she didn't prefer being the clutches of some shady thugs over being desperately lost but not immediately in danger. But he didn't say anything. She turned around; a "what's with you?" look on her face, but then froze, her expression slipping into cold fear.

He had the same dirty blonde hair as the man who had first grabbed her, but the mask was long gone. But now he had Peter in a chokehold, and curved blade held to his neck.

"Come on now Princess, you've wasted enough of our time. Get over here, or your little friend gets it."

She flinched. What a cliché. They were caught.

Unless…

Did she dare?

Apparently of its own volition, the wind began to pick up.

"Tony, you're going to want to see this," Kurt said, appearing in front of the distraught father.

"What? Did you find her? Where's Minnie?"

"We think we may have found her magical signature. The rest of the team has already left to respond to the alert. I've come to collect you," the mutant explained.

It wasn't every day a non mutant got to ride in the X-Jet, even Tony had never had the privilege, and he'd had a fair bit more than a hand in developing the thing.

Kurt flew it well, and managed to keep him calm the whole way through.

"Look here Tony," he said, pointing to a monitor on the dash.

"This judges several different types of energy, including chaos magic. Hermione's is similar enough that it'd be reasonable to assume it can read hers as well. A few minutes ago, we got a massive spike, bigger than anything Scarlet's ever put out, maybe bigger than Jean. And it's maybe two miles away from one of the warehouses we thought Carradine might be taking the kids."

Tony clenched his fists, with anxiousness, staring fixedly at the ground below them, hoping to see anything he could take as a sign that Minnie was down there.

Then he saw an entire city block sheeted in blinding white.

"What on Earth," he murmured.

They landed in an empty lot, and exited the Jet, shocked when they stepped onto fresh snow.

"Snow? In July? Is Storm on this squad of yours?"

Kurt shook his head.

"No, and that…concerns me."

They followed it toward the center, where the snow was the thickest.

They found an alleyway, right at the middle, where the snow was all a foot deeper or more, when Tony saw them.

Two men, completely encased in solid ice, their eyes terrified.

And in the middle of it all, two eight year olds huddled together, shivering.

**And now for the long ass end note!**

**About the Characters- there's a description at the bottom- but also, the information there is just so you have a general idea of their back-story so I don't have to write into TSE. That said, what's here is what you get. If you're really into comics and you know all the history and storylines, that's great. Most of the people reading this don't. Very little will be included in this story outside of what's occurred in movies, except for a few plotlines of my own design. If you're waiting for me to go into every arc, I'd be writing this fic til the day I died. This goes for every character I include in this. Comic book continuity is so convoluted and confusing that it would be impossible to understand if every detail was put into this. Basically, this story is movie canon, okay? Okay.**

**Alright, guessing game! **

**First one's stupidly easy- Who's the Jean Kurt mentioned when they were looking at the energy readings?**

**Second, she's not actually a Marvel (or comics) character, but what's the name of the Blonde Media Liaison who led the Press Conference?**

**And finally, if you can tell me what else Dennis Carradine is infamous for, you win virtual cookies! Yay! XD Btw, that name is technically only canon according to Sam Raimi's trilogy.**

_**Charles Xavier (Professor X)**_

_**Charles Xavier was the son of a Nuclear Physicist, who died in an accident (of course), and is basically the most powerful telepath in existence except for Jean Grey, who literally gets extra power from the powers that be, which is cheating. His mother later marries a gold digging Kurt Marko, who moves into their fancy house with his son Cain, who is not a biblical reference at all I /swear/. You know, since they're brothers, and Cain grows up /evil/ and all. (Google Juggernaut from the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants if you're curious. I don't even think he'll be getting a cameo here.) According to First Class this apparently doesn't happen, or the fact that he has horrible relatives just isn't relevant, but sometime around here meets Mystique, and they bond over the fact that they can do things that human beings can't do for good reasons. (I'm kidding. Their powers are awesome.) He studies genetics at the fanciest schools Stan Lee knew the names of and then goes on to create the Goddamn X-Men. And for the majority of the time he was doing this awesome stuff, he also happened to be paralyzed from the waist down. No, seriously. **_

_**Kurt Wagner (Night Crawler)**_

_**Kurt Wagner was raised by a gypsy woman, but he was actually the son of Mystique and a Demon called Azazel. Can you say Daddy issues? Of course the Village People were scared of a little blue baby, so they attempt to murder him, which becomes typical for the poor guy, because unlike his mom, he's doesn't have the ability to transform into whoever he feels like screwing over that day. He is however, able to teleport short distances, as well as climb walls and use his tail as a fifth limb. He's basically a monkey if monkeys were blue and awesome. And wore pants.**_

_**Wanda Maximoff (The Scarlet Witch)**_

_**The Scarlet Witch was probably guaranteed to be powerful from the moment she was conceived- she's the daughter of Magneto, as in arch-enemy of the X-Men Magneto, and twin sister of the mutant Quicksilver- and she was born with the ability to manipulate probabilities to her advantage. Which is exactly as ambiguous as it sounds. But she got an even greater advantage when the Elder God Cthon altered her DNA in the womb, giving her the ability to control chaos magic. Add that to her natural powers and she becomes one Witch you want to have on your side, because things /usually go her way/. She's fairly ambiguous when it comes to loyalties too. She spent a lot of time with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (the bad guys, if that wasn't clear), considering her father leads them, but she's also got a stint with the Avengers on her record. She even married and later separated from her fellow Avenger the Vision, who happens to be an Android, but let's not judge, okay?**_

_**Oops corrections XD- I orginally said that Night Crawler's father was Abaddon. That's wrong. I've been reading too much Demonology lately apparently. And for the record, Biblically, both /are/ demons. However, Azazel is just a mutant in Marvel canon. Sorry! XD**_


	4. Chapter 3: Thicker than Thieves

**Firstly: Oh my goodness guys that was a long ass wait. I'm sorry. My muse got cancer, it was totally serious. Actually, I got a review like yesterday that got a ball rolling in my head, and I finally managed to finish this! Yay! **

**Secondly: This chapter, as well as various chapters after this are dedicated to JannaKalderash, who at this point is practically a co-author. Her fabulous suggestions were only (barely) hinted at here, but they have greatly shaped the direction of this story. If I haven't mentioned before, I read every single review, they're the best part of my day. And the comments and suggestions you make there help me /tons/ even if I don't use them, I want to make a point to at least reference them. I just can't believe the response I've been getting from this story, and hope you guys stay enthusiastic about it.**

**And Thirdly: Eh…Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! Yeah that was majorly late.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **

Chapter 3: Thick as Thieves

It was silent as the elevator made its way downward. The three men were tense and serious, an uncommon sight for at least two of the three, who tended to favor sarcasm in all situations.  
But not this one.  
The light that indicated floor number landed on the button labeled "basement", and the elevator slowed to a stop.  
The rush of cold air that flew in the opening doors only darkened the mood, reminding them why they were there.  
The chamber was a massive, yawning him hole in the earth that was much too reminiscent of a medieval dungeon for anyone to be at ease there. The shadowy shapes on the walls and floor did nothing to counter that image, except for the large fluorescent lights along the ceiling that flickered and flooded the cavern with light as the approached the center.  
Except for the giant shadowy mass that stood right in the middle.  
And when the final light flickered on, the three men looked with grim fascination at all six feet and four inches of Dennis Carradine, encased entirely in solid ice, and his partner  
Almost as if on cue, Anthony Stark and Captain George Stacy turned to the man between them.  
"So can you do it?"  
Tony snorted.  
"The real question is can you do it without killing him? As much as I'd love to see the bastard fry, we still need him for interrogation purposes."  
The young blonde man smirked and cracked his knuckles.  
"You insult me, Stark. You'll get to question him."  
He nodded, satisfied, just as his phone buzzed.  
A text from Pepper:  
_She's awake._

Tony shoved his hands into his pockets and made to saunter out the door, as if he had not a care in the world.  
"I'll let you get to it then," he said, strolling away.  
"Hey Storm..." he called back.  
Balls of orange flame erupted in the man's hands.  
"Yeah?"  
"Alive doesn't mean he can't be extra crispy."  
Johnny Storm chuckled.  
"You got it Tony."  
The elevator doors closed, and Tony Stark was gone.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How is she?" He asked as they made their way to her room.  
Pepper gave him a thoughtful look.  
"The doctors aren't sure, but Wanda's got an idea it's magical exhaustion. All that ice took more out of her than I think we even knew she had.  
She's better though; her and Peter are already making trouble, so I think they'll be fine," she said, a small smile growing on her face.

Her phone rang, and she stepped aside to answer it.

He nodded, and went inside.

"Daddy!" He heard the moment he entered the the hospital room. But he couldn't exactly see Hermione inside. The nightstand, the floor, and the bed were all covered in various presents that had accumulated in the last three days. The short girl was completely blocked from view, particularly by a very large, very green teddy bear, that dwarfed all of her...Except for her hair, which hadn't been brushed in three days. Frankly, it was beginning to look like a life of its own.  
Tony leaned over the massive bear and grinned at what he saw.  
Her and Peter were sitting tie together on the bed, making the most of the ridiculous amount of gifts they'd received. Much unlike the night he'd found them, their eyes were alight with laughter, and their mouths were covered in chocolate.  
"Let me guess, the bear's from-"  
"Aunty Jennifer."  
He rolled his eyes.  
"Yea, real subtle, she is. And the chocolate?"  
"Grandpa."

He chuckled. No surprise there, but the stack of books on the nightstand confused him.

"Um, who brought you an Introduction to Astrophysics?"

"Uncle Hank."

Tony grinned, and locked eyes with Peter.

"How are you, Peter?" He asked, not a little bit of guilt gnawing at him.

The boy smiled.

"I'm okay Mr. Stark."

"Kid, just call me Tony. Mr. Stark is my Dad's name," he corrected.

Peter Parker just grinned as he bit into another chocolate candy.

"So other than giving yourselves cavities, what have you been doing in here?"

She tilted her head in contemplation,

"Well we woke up-"

"And she was like, _what year is it?"_

_"_And then Pepper spent like forever hugging me-"

"And Aunty May wouldn't stop crying-"

"And then the nurse came in-"

"And she had presents."

"Like, a lot of presents."

"And it would've been a waste-"

"Not to enjoy them!"

The two kids burst into giggles.

Damn it felt good, knowing she was alright. Better than alright even. He was hard pressed to remember a time when Hermione had had this much fun with kids her own age. That was rare, he knew. In fact, he didn't think she'd met a kid that wasn't at the Xavier Institute, or some snobby dinner party.

Note to self, get Minnie some more friends.

Tony grinned.

"Good to see you kids enjoying yourselves."

A middle-aged nurse with short black hair bustled into the room, a tray of medicines balanced on one hip, and bottles of water cradled in her other hand.

"Ah, Mister Stark, I'm glad you caught them awake," she said.

"Alright children, time for your medicine. It'll probably put you to sleep, so Peter, back into your own bed."

"Yes ma'am", he said, getting into the bed next to Hermione and burrowing underneath the covers.

Hermione pouted, but cleared the mess off her bed to make room for herself.

"What's the medicine for?" Tony asked.

"It might have caught the crooks, but those _mutants'_ methods nearly froze the poor dears. Hermione seems mostly alright, but Peter here nearly got hypothermia, and they both seem to be coming down with colds."

He nearly rolled his eyes at her distaste at the word "mutant", but nodded in understanding.

"Also..." she took a quick glance at the children, who weren't paying attention in the slightest, too busy making silly faces at each other.

"Mr. Stark, we had some...issues with your daughter. We couldn't get a read on her at all when we first brought her in, it was like the equipment just...quit. Eventually we managed to confirm that she is perfectly healthy, but that doesn't correlate with any of preliminary evaluations our emergency responders made. They had clear signs of hypothermia, and not a small amount of bruising, but you wouldn't know it from looking at her. I'd say the girl had been to Disneyland, not kidnapped, as cheerful as she is. Frankly, I don't know what to make of it, and I'm sure it's nothing to be alarmed about, but I felt you should know."

He nodded.

"Thank you Miss...?"

"Joy," she said.

"Yes, thank you Nurse Joy."

With a friendly smile, she left the room.

By the time Pepper came inside, Peter was asleep, and Minnie was decidedly drowsy.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah cupcake?"

Her brown eyes were very serious when they met his.

"You got them, right? You beat them up?"  
He chuckled.

"Not personally no, but I understand they'll be in the hospital for a while before they can go to jail."

"Tony!" Pepper reprimanded.

He rolled his eyes.

"Don't act like you're not happy about it," he said smilingly.

"That doesn't mean it's okay. They were horrible people yes, but violence is not always the answer."

A some point in that sentence she had stopped chastising Tony, and was advising Hermione instead. However, there was no changing the kid's mind.

"I think it's a good thing. I hope they learned their lesson," she said primly," and the corners of Tony's mouth lifted up at her expression.

'That's my girl,' he mouthed towards his assistant, and the redhead just rolled her eyes.

Minnie tried her best to hold back a yawn.

"Go on kid, go to sleep," Tony said, ruffling her hair. Her face scrunched up in a pout, but relaxed soon enough because within minutes, she was asleep.

The Parkers came in not long after that.

"Oh good, they're asleep again," Ben said mischievously as they sat down.

"Ben Parker!" May hit him on the chest roughly, and he laughed between coughing.

When Tony joined him Pepper gave him a look like she might follow May's lead, but she didn't hit him.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, woman," he said, rubbing his chest.

"_You_ weren't in here when they got all those goodies! They were bouncing off the walls! You wouldn't believe those two- known each other for four days, most of that unconscious and the rest of it kidnapped and they're thick as thieves! Next they'll be completing each other's sentences-"

Tony couldn't contain his laughter.

"Too late for that. It was extremely creepy. Sort of cute, but creepy."

After a moment, the laughter faded into an awkward silence, all four adults unsure of how to continue, until May Parker reached over, and gently took Tony's hand, and smiled.

"Mr. Stark-" she corrected herself- "Tony, I know this wasn't an…ideal, situation, but I want to thank you. Many people didn't care that my nephew had been taken at all. But you cared about getting him back. You're the reason we still have our nephew."

Tony nodded, and Pepper noticed with a smile that Tony's posture relaxed at the words. No surprise, she realized that he had been blaming himself.

"May, Peter is no less important than Hermione is. I would've never settled for anything less than the both of them coming home safe. It's the least I could do."

She patted his hand, and released him.

"I know Tony. You're a good man."

As you might expect, he didn't hear that one too often. Pepper smiled to him from her own seat. For the first time in four days, Tony felt warm.

**Alright! Not too much to that, just some fluffy stuff, the bad guys get their comeuppance, and there's massive presents involved, yay! **

**Alright, first thing. About last time's guessing game:**

**1 Was Jean Grey, obviously.**

**2 Was Jennifer Jareau of Criminal Minds. Maybe I should've picked another person to cameo, but the description sort of wrote itself, so I just went ahead and referenced her.**

**3I've decided to keep this a quasi-secret. Feel free to google it. But for those who don't, I'll be waiting for your reactions later on.**

**And now for new questions!**

**1Who's Minnie calling Grandpa?**

**2Who's Aunt Jennifer?**

**And 3 isn't really guessing, it's more of a poll. There' two Hanks (that I'm aware of) in Marvel Universe. That's Henry (Hank) Pym (Antman) and Henry (Hank) McCoy (Beast) obviously, I've already introduced quite a few of the X-Men, so Beast would be simplest, but considering Antman's got a movie coming out, I'm curious about your favorites. Whichever one you like the best will be Hermione's "Uncle Hank". Gosh. This girl's beginning to have a ****_massive_**** family. I haven't even introduced the Avengers yet! And dear god, Hogwarts is coming up! In like two-ish chapters!**

Edit: For those who were confused, Jennifer Jareau isn't involved in the story anymore. Aunt Jennifer is an entirely different (and also Marvel Canon) character. And her gift to Minnie is a major hint. ;D

Also, if anyone noticed, the slight Pokemon reference was totally on purpose.


End file.
